At the Timi-Kurm Festival, this presentation was used as an aid to explain marine mammals.

1. An Introduction to Marine
Mammals: With a focus on India
12/21/2013
Mridula Srinivasan, Ph.D.
Terra Marine Research Institute
2013 Timi-Kurm Festival
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2. Roadmap
Marine Mammal Basics
Why Marine Mammals are Unique
Marine Mammal Types
Cetaceans
Cetaceans of India
Studying Marine Mammals
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3. Mammals BASICS
Nurse young
Have hair
Warm blooded
Four-chambered
heart
Parental Care
Lungs to breathe
Same core body
temperature
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4. Marine Mammal BASICS
Nurse young
Have hair
Warm blooded
Four-chambered heart
Parental Care
Lungs to breathe
Same core body temperature
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5. Marine Mammal Basics Cont.…
Gestation period range: 10-17.5 months
1 – 3 year birth interval
breeding – migration (only whales) – feeding –
calving – lactation – weaning – resting/playing
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6. Hippopotamus - Whales & Dolphins
Bears - Seals
Manatees & Dugongs ELEPHANTS
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7. Whale Evolution
VIDEO
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8. What makes marine mammals
unique ?
Breath holding (High Myoglobin)
Live and reproduce for the most part in water
Deep divers
May drink salt water, get water from prey
Longest migrations
Blubber/fur (insulation)
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9. • Above and below
water
• No eyelashes
• More rods then
cones/some color
vision
http://cetus.ucsd.edu/voicesinthesea_org/videos/videos.html (VOICES OF THE SEA)
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10. ~78 SPECIES OF WHALES, DOLPHINS, PORPOISES
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11. 4 species (manatees and dugong)
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12. ~33 species of seals, sea lions, walrus
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13. Sea Otters
Marine - related to weasels,
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badgers, river otters
Polar Bears
Depend on ocean for food
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14. Marine Mammals of the World – Classification
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order – Cetacea – Whales and Dolphins
Order – Sirenia – Manatees and Dugongs
Order – Carnivora – Polar bear, seals, sea lions, otters
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15. Taxonomy – Family
Whales, Dolphins, and
Porpoises (Cetaceans)
Balaenidae
Neobalaenidae
Eschrichtiidae
Balaenopteridae
Physeteridae
Kogiidae
Platanistidae
Pontoporiidae
Lipotidae
Iniidae
Monodontidae
Phocoenidae
Delphinidae
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Ziphiidae
Seals, Sea Lions, and
Walrus (Pinnipeds)
Phocidae
Otariidae
Odobenidae
Manatees and Dugongs
(Sirenia)
Trichechidae
Dugongidae
Polar Bears and Sea
Otters (Carnivores)
Ursidae
Mustelidae
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16. Cetaceans: Whales and
Dolphins, and Porpoises
Two Sub-Orders--Odontocetes (Toothed Whales)
Mysticetes (Baleen Whales)
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17. Marine Mammals of India
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KNOWN 20-25 species found in India
Ganges River Dolphins
Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphins
Irrawaddy Dolphins
Dwarf Sperm Whales
Bottlenose dolphins
Dugongs
Beaked whales
Finless Porpoise
Humpback Whales
Sperm Whales
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18. Baleen whales or Mysticetes
Have 2 blow holes
Females are larger than
males
Mostly solitary, but
cooperate during feeding!
Long migrations
Use low frequency
sounds (<10KHz)to
communicate long
distances
4 families with a total of
14 species
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19. 12/21/2013
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20. Mysticete External Morphology
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21. Tooth brush or baleen!!
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22. Baleen size and feeding technique
Gray whale – shortest baleen
sediment or bottom feeding. Biggest reason
for organic sediment turnover in the oceans.
Right and bowhead whales – thickest and
longest baleen – skim feeders
Humpback and blue whales ( rorqual whales) –
intermediate length baleen
mid-water column feeding, gulp or lunge
feeders
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23. 12/21/2013
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24. Know a whale from its blow!
Right Whale Blow
Characteristic V- shaped
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25. Family: Balaenopteridae
Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus
• Rorquals (2 genera, 8
species)
• 7 separated cervical
vertebrae
• Small dorsal fin behind
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midline
• 30-100 gular grooves
• Short baleen plates, 200+
per side
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26. Toothed Whales or Odontocetes
One blowhole
Killer whales sexually
dimorphic
Strong social bonds
Known for their human/chimp
equivalent Cognition and
Intelligence
Use echolocation to feed and
communicate
Use high frequency sounds to
communicate 10kHz-100KHz
10 families with at least 71
species
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27. Odontocete
External Morphology
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28. Female
(Lagenorhynchus obscurus)
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29. Male
(Lagenorhynchus
obscurus)
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30. Family: Physeteridae
Produces
ambergris – a
valuable
substance in
perfumes.
•
• Sperm whale (Physeter
macrocephalus): 1 species
•
• 18-25 conical teeth on lower jaw only
• Dorsal hump; no fin
•
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All cervical vertebrae except
first are fused
Males 15-18 m; females up to
11 m
Feeds primarily on deep-water
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squid at depths of up to 600m

31. Family: Kogiidae
• Pygmy and dwarf sperm
whales (1 genus, 2
species)
• Blunt, shark-like head
Pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps)
• Small, sub-terminal lower jaw
• 24-32 conical teeth in lower jaw
• Diet primarily deep-sea
cephalopods and slow moving
fish
Breaching Dwarf sperm whale (Kogia simus)
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32. Family: Ziphiidae
A rare photograph of Blainville’s beaked whale
(Mesoplodon densirostris)
• Beaked whales (6 genera, 20
known species)
• Protruding rostrum with
arched jaws
• Small dorsal fin past midline
• Cuvier’s beaked whale –
Deepest diving record – 1,800
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meters in 45 minutes
Northern Bottlenose whale (Hyperoodon
ampullatus) aboard a whaling ship
• 1-2 pairs of teeth on lower
jaw in most species
• Non-notched flukes
• Feeds primarily on deepsea squid
• Also has spermaceti
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33. Family: Platanistidae
Platanista
gangetica
India’s
National
Aquatic
Animal
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•
•
•
Two captive Susus (Platanista sp.)
Indus (bhulan) & Ganges (susu) Broad, paddle-like pectoral fins
•
river dolphins (1 species)
• 2-3 m in length
Long, narrow beak with no
• Range limited to the Indus and
whiskers
Ganges river basins.
No dorsal fin; low dorsal hump
Small eyes and poor vision
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34. Family: Delphinidae
Common dolphin
(Delphinus delphis)
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• 36 species, 17 genera
• Range from 1.5-10 m
in length, 50-9000 kg
• Conical, functional
teeth in both jaws
• All but genus
Lissodelphis have
dorsal fin
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35. Family: Phocoenidae
• The porpoises: 3 genera with 6
species
• Porpoises are distinguished
from other Odontocetes by their
small body size
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Harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena)
Finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides)
• The porpoises are an elusive and
relatively poorly known group.
They feed on small pelagic and
mesopelagic fish and squid. Their
lifespans are relatively short (~20
years), and they usually spend
their time in small, fluid social
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groups.

36. Dolphin and Porpoise
features
Porpoise Features
spade shaped teeth
triangular dorsal fin
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no beak
Dolphin Features
cone shaped teeth
curved or hooked dorsal fin
often prominent beak
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37. What can we hope to see in
waters near Karwar and Goa
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38. 12/21/2013
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39. What can we learn from
studying dolphins and whales
and how do we study them?
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40. Photo Identification
• Identifying unique
individuals by markings
on their dorsal fin
• Saddle-patches plus dorsal
fin for killer whales
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41. Dorsal Fins
Top
chopped
Trailing edge
Leading Edge
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Top Notch
Unusual
pigmentation/
scars
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42. What can we use this for?
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•
•
•
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Movement patterns (migrations)
Habitat use and Distributions
Site fidelity
Population estimates and Abundance
Association patterns (social behavior)
Predation & Predator Effects
Behavior – Feeding, Mating, Social, Play
Behavioral Ecology
Environmental and Human Effects
Wildlife Management and Policy
Environmental Regulations
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LOCAL, REGIONAL, NATIONAL, GLOBAL SCALES
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43. Other Techniques
• Biopsy
• Radio Tracking and
Satellite Tagging
• Boat-based studies
• Theodolite tracking
(Hill-based)
• Unmanned systems
• Acoustic tracking –
listening to whales
• Aerial and Ship
surveys
• Modeling
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44. WHY SHOULD WE CARE?
They are like “humans”
Top of the food chain
‘TIGERS OF THE SEA’
Sentinels of Ocean
Health and Climate
Change
They keep ecosystems
in check
National Aquatic Animal
– Ganges River Dolphin
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45. The End
12/21/2013
Thank you!
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46. Back Up Slides
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47. WHOI CSI
• http://csi.whoi.edu/interactive/harborporpois
e2d (harbor porpoise body)
• http://csi.whoi.edu/interactive/pinnipedskulld
orsal2d (pinniped skull)
• http://csi.whoi.edu/interactive/odontocetesku
lllateral2d (dolphin skull lateral)
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